Evaluation of Light Pollution in Global Protected Areas from 1992 to 2018

Abstract

Light pollution, a phenomenon in which artificial nighttime light (NTL) changes the form of brightness and darkness in natural areas such as protected areas (PAs), has become a global concern due to its threat to global biodiversity. With ongoing global urbanization and climate change, the light pollution status in global PAs deserves attention for mitigation and adaptation. In this study, we developed a framework to evaluate the light pollution status in global PAs, using the global NTL time series data. First, we classified global PAs (30,624) into three pollution categories: non-polluted (5974), continuously polluted (8141), and discontinuously polluted (16,509), according to the time of occurrence of lit pixels in/around PAs from 1992 to 2018. Then, we explored the NTL intensity (e.g., digital numbers) and its trend in those polluted PAs and identified those hotspots of PAs at the global scale with consideration of global urbanization. Our study shows that global light pollution is mainly distributed within the range of 30°N and 60°N, including Europe, north America, and East Asia. Although the temporal trend of NTL intensity in global PAs is increasing, Japan and the United States of America (USA) have opposite trends due to the implementation of well-planned ecological conservation policies and declining population growth. For most polluted PAs, the lit pixels are close to their boundaries (i.e., less than 10 km), and the NTL in/around these lit areas has become stronger over the past decades. The identified hotspots of PAs (e.g., Europe, the USA, and East Asia) help support decisions on global biodiversity conservation, particularly with global urbanization and climate change.

Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Landscape Ecological Risks in the Ecological Functional Zone of the Upper Yellow River, China

“…Climate warming has led to increased evaporation, surface drought, vegetation degradation, and lake retreat, reducing the stability of the originally fragile ecosystem and weakening its resilience, which has become the main driving force for the degradation of the ecological environment [ 28 ]. It is worth noting that the role of anthropogenic causes cannot be ignored [ 29 ]. The cold spot of the landscape ecological risk is mainly in Zhuoni County and Lintan County, which are in the central part of EFZUYR.…”

An Impact Analysis of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) on Bats. A Case Study of the Historic Monument and Natura 2000 Wisłoujście Fortress in Gdansk, Poland

“…In recent years, a new tool in the form of remote sensing has been applied to various research projects. For example, it was used to calculate an empirical environmental sustainability index [ 82 ], study global economic and demographic differences between countries [ 83 ], define global trends in exposure to light pollution [ 84 ], evaluate light pollution in global protected areas [ 85 ], model light pollution in suburban areas [ 86 ], estimate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on urban light emissions [ 87 ], assess the impact of ALAN on cancer risk in epidemiological studies [ 88 ], research methods for the assessment and monitoring of light pollution around ecologically sensitive sites [ 89 ], and additionally, facilitate the management of nesting sea turtles on the Mediterranean coastline affected by nighttime lighting [ 90 ]. There are also studies that have looked at bat activity for urban planning in three cities in France that are supportive of biodiversity.…”

Ecological Corridor Construction Based on Least-Cost Modeling Using Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Nighttime Light Data and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

“…Though ecological corridors constructed using our approach can reduce the adverse effects of night lights, it is not enough for the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. With the increase in global illumination, natural habitats have been greatly affected by nighttime light, and the risk of losing many light-sensitive species also increases [56]. However, light pollution is different from other forms of pollution (e.g., air pollution), and it is relatively easy to reverse.…”